relative
by Fish-Inton
Summary: the Good Doctor returns to Florence and meets someone he doesn't expect... COMPLETE!!!
1. Decisions

Disclaimer: So I don't own HIM, but I do however own the woman. She doesn't do anything but annoy me! . Can you believe it. over five months of looking for this! Then I have to type it all up!  
  
A/N: This is also another serious fic, most probably the most serious I've ever attempted to write... it all came to mind when...  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
A young woman stood outside the residence of Dr Anthony Morrick and just sighed.  
  
"How could she?"  
  
It had been just over fourteen years since Clarice Starling ended her relationship with Dr Hannibal Lecter. Twelve years since she died in another FBI bust.  
  
Lecter had not changed considerably since Baltimore and Memphis and the Buffalo Bill case. He still hated the rude, and identified people using his sense of smell... he would do well as a blind man. Although he hates the rude, he'd never resort to cannibalism; just because Clarice was gone didn't mean he'd break his promise to her.  
  
Hannibal just stared with his dark maroon eyes as the young woman left the front of the property... he didn't know why she did that every morning... she looked like Clarice. He inhaled as if to catch her scent, but was disappointed when she wasn't there.  
  
Clarice. The little Starling, longing to fly, the little bird falling from the nest in a constant fight with gravity...  
  
It was the doctor's birthday, although he didn't feel it... he was just plain miserable... he had been for just over fourteen years. He was getting annoyed with that young woman, she bugged him and reminded him too much of his Clarice. Maybe he should return to Florence for a while, he could amuse himself and revisit a few 'old haunts' from all those years ago. Alternatively, he could just stay.  
  
His large residence was set in a nice countryside setting, in the town of Little Middletown. The estate was one of the largest and had large front lawns, well maintained by the doctor as well as the staff. The properties surrounding his home were similar but unique in their own special ways... almost a dream neighbourhood.  
  
The neighbours were all courteous and he fitted in well with those who already lived there. They had regular dinners and cocktail parties, all in all, a good time for the good doctor... times he could cheer up, times when he could entertain guests and not let his problems take over.  
  
He had so much, yet so little... he was lonely.  
  
What could Hannibal Lecter do now? He had two choices, go to Florence, or be lonely...  
  
After contemplating his choices and weighing up either one carefully, he decided to leave. Still sitting in front of the window, sipping Batard Montrachet, he visited his memory palace. It had been some time since he'd gone to Florence and his many archives needed updating or were boring him and needed replacing.  
  
It was settled. He'd go to Florence, and when he returned to Little Middletown, he would not be empty handed... he would be happy.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Doctor Lecter left his home dressed ready for the flight to Florence, Italy. He had made a last minute call and booked a flight straight away.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Dr Anthony Morrick handed his flight ticket to the steward at the front of the gate and made his way to his seat. It was Dr Hannibal Lecter who put on his headphones and sat back, letting the Goldberg Variations of Bach lull him into a deep sleep.  
  
He awoke in Florence. The doctor, now Dr Morrick, exited the plane and collected his luggage. He had acquired an address from a tour guide for cheap, quality accommodation. The good doctor, behaving himself, went to a payphone, found an empty booth and called the number on the card. He spoke to a friend of the owner, but was told he'd meet the real owner at four O'clock that day. 


	2. Kaine

USUAL DISCLAIMER APPLIES, don't own The GD. However, I DO own Kaine! MINE! MINE I TELL YOU! Don't sue! I don't get enough allowance for that!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Morrick turned the corner to find an old abandoned warehouse building. Did he have the right place?  
  
"Yes, you have got the right street." A voice came from behind Dr Morrick; however, it was Lecter who spun around at an unnatural speed. There was nobody there, not that he could see anyway.  
  
"You really do have to calm down." The voice said. A shadow moved from a doorway behind him. Lecter spun around again, red sparks flying from his pupils. The first thought that entered his mind was that the FBI had nailed him. He sniffed the air, nothing.  
  
Morrick heard something behind him... Lecter stealthily kicked out in the same direction. The doctor found himself flat on his back in less than a second. Who could move so fast, silently and stealthily other than him?  
  
His many questions were answered when the shadow emerged form the shadow; a boy of about fourteen stepped from the gloom of the doorway. The kid was dressed in a black suit, black shirt, maroon tie... VANS on his feet, how... appealing. He offered his hand to the defeated doctor. Hannibal hadn't admitted defeat and he refused the offer.  
  
"I'd better spare what dignity I have left." The boy chuckled at this and helped him up all the same.  
  
"True." He simply replied.  
  
"Who are you?" Dr Lecter asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.  
  
"Name's Kaine, Kaine Mclaine, I own this place." He answered.  
  
"You're early, considering certain... delays." The doctor's eyes flashed with a hint of embarrassment in the maroon depths.  
  
"Depending on those delays, I am usually early, I value punctuality," Kaine said, "I apologise for the harshness, have to be sure." He walked ahead of the good doctor.  
  
They entered the warehouse. Kaine spoke and broke the awkward silence forming.  
  
"I spoke to you over the phone, I know who you really are, no need to use an alias here." Kaine stated plainly and flatly.  
  
"Oh, I understand," Hannibal replied, "Oh, but for the record, I'm being known as Dr Anthony Morrick." He detected the awkwardness forming again.  
  
Please, follow me to my office." Kaine signalled to a door that said MANAGERS OFFICE clearly in bold lettering. As the two entered the office, Lecter noticed several guitars and pictures around the room.  
  
"Do you play?" He questioned.  
  
"Huh?" Kaine looked up from the papers he was shuffling through.  
  
"Guitars?"  
  
"Oh, yes. Yes, I do... quite a lot actually." He looked around the room, lost in thought and memory.  
  
"Nice." The doctor became uneasy as he waited for Kaine to find the relevant papers.  
  
"Aha! Found it!" He exclaimed as he stuck a picture in the centre of a dartboard, "Sorry."  
  
After a long conversation about Florence and Dante and a coffee, Kaine showed the doctor around the two available floors that could be seen above ground.  
  
"We don't usually use the basement, so it's like a big storage space area if you need it at all."  
  
The second floor was very modern and bright. There was a large bedroom, spacious and airy, the bathroom was attached to the bedroom and the living room, it was also light, but chrome wasn't to Dr Lecter's liking it gave that 'tacky' look in his opinion. The kitchen was not especially large, nor was it small, rather just right. The living room was merged into one with the dining room and it fit very well, once again, it was a light and spacious room... but a feeling of emptiness permeated the entire floor because of the light and spaciousness.  
  
The third floor was a different world altogether. It was still spacious and roomy, but the decoration was completely different. The living room and dining room were separate in this floor though. The decoration was rustic; it had a cosy feel to it but stayed feeling spacious. It was a fair size and the bedroom was a marvel... exquisitely carved four-poster bed and huge armoires were in the room, the windows had great drapes across a bar to serve as casual, yet rustic curtains... it was beautiful... Dr Lecter had made his choice.  
  
"It's your choice. We don't usually have many takers for this one, so it's stayed pretty much new." Kaine explained various statistics and exchanged polite conversation.  
  
"What, may I ask, is the rent?" Asked the doctor.  
  
"Huh? Rent? There is no rent, that is, unless you actually WANT to pay." Kaine chuckled  
  
"Hmmmmmmm, no rent... that is good." The good doctor thought for a moment.  
  
"I know. People see the front of the building and walk away, wasting my time... the quality is on the inside." Lecter agreed with Kaine's opinion.  
  
"And now you ask me if I accept the offer, am I correct?" Hannibal asked.  
  
"Yes, you are." Kaine replied.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Back in Kaine's office, Kaine was shuffling in a drawer to find the papers for Dr Morrick to sign. He signed three of the pages and then passed the papers over to the doctor. He then stamped the last page.  
  
"Enjoy your stay." Kaine said, holding the door open for Hannibal. "Oh, by the way, the elevator's being repaired at the moment, it's a good idea to take the stairs."  
  
"Thank-you for the tips and you'll have to teach me those moves sometime." Then, the doctor was gone.  
  
"Yeah, teach you... heh..." Kaine said to himself as he shut the MANAGERS OFFICE door. 


	3. Basement

Don't own him, never will, much to my disappointment... *sigh*  
  
What do you think of it so far?  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Hannibal had chosen the third floor, the rustic one. He had come home late and awoke with a headache to the sound of loud music downstairs. He took a quick shower, dressed and went downstairs. He stopped on the second floor and looked in the room... then he did a double take, the reason... ROCK! Four teens were going mental with electric guitars and drums and microphones...  
  
They appeared to be recording a track with lots of amplifiers and equipment cluttering everything up. Kaine was yelling his head off at the microphone, and the others (well...) let's just say they were going crazier than Lecter. Kaine spotted him when they finished.  
  
"Good morning, Dr Morrick... erm... how long have you been watching?" He was red faced from all the shouting.  
  
"Erm..." Dr Lecter looked down at his watch, "five minutes at most." He replied, attempting to hide a yawn.  
  
"I hope we didn't wake you." Kaine said. "Where are my manners?" he sighed "We're a band called Whiteleech." He said to the doctor. "This is Tim." He pointed out the drummer. "This is Theo." The guitarist waved back. "And this is Stu." Stu was sorting out his bass guitar.  
  
"Hello." Hannibal said, then he was gone again.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
In Florence, Dr Lecter was Dr Morrick again. He looked around and was flooded with memories. He chuckled when he walked underneath *the* balcony he'd hung Rinaldo Pazzi off of with some electrical cord, with his bowels hanging out.  
  
In their strange relationship, Clarice had expressed the wish to go to Florence whenever he spoke of it, she wanted to know what he found so fascinating about the place... so did he.  
  
She was curious, like Kaine.  
  
He waved off these thoughts, bought a copy of La Nazione and went into a small corner restaurant.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
After a satisfying luncheon, the doctor stepped outside and recalled the happy times with Clarice. The way she smiled, the West Virginian accent he'd criticised her about when they first met...  
  
Before her death, he'd called her and apologised. She had spoken with him, cried down the phone to him... he came over to her house, and things just went from there.  
  
He had become HER lamb, he was no longer the wolf.  
  
Florence was where her assignment began and ended. It was where she'd died. The doctor hadn't wanted to go for such a long time, but now he was there, here, in Florence... what was he really looking for? There was no place for Mischa in the world, not now his little Starling was gone.  
  
Kaine is curious, like Clarice. He could hide his true feelings, like Hannibal. Kaine was like Hannibal and Clarice mixed together in a perfect balance. Kaine had the same hair colour as Hannibal... when he was younger, of course. Kaine's eyes... Clarice's eyes... Dr Morrick made his way back to the warehouse... back home.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Kaine walked down into the basement and went into the back room. He looked at the picture of his mother and wished he knew who his father was.  
  
He knew that his mother was dead and he didn't know where his father was, even where to start looking.  
  
"I'll find you." Kaine promised himself, "I'll put you through hell." He vowed this whenever he went into the back room and looked through his many scrap books of photos and news articles.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
By the time Hannibal got back to the building, Kaine was coming out of the basement.  
  
"Hello." He had startled Kaine, who changed his expression immediately from grim to happy.  
  
"Hey, have fun?" Kaine cheerfully asked. Hannibal asked him what he was doing, "Huh? Oh, just checking stuff, old memories. Just checking..." He trailed off. Hannibal could see Kaine was troubled by something, but he didn't know what.  
  
Kaine left the doctor and went into his office, he sat on the comfy chair in the corner and sighed. He thought of the features he got from his mother an then maybe, just maybe, he could get a mental image of his father in his head. A knock on the door brought him out of his reverie.  
  
"Come in!" he shouted over to the door. Dr Lecter walked into the room.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Sit, please." Kaine motioned toward a chair, "Now, what can I do for you?"  
  
"Well, you seemed a little troubled just now. I was just checking you were okay."  
  
"Well, as you can see, I'm just fine... as I said, just memories in the basement." Kaine willed his troubles away and locked them in a vault in the darkest corner of his mind.  
  
"If you're sure." Dr Lecter respected Kaine's will to hide his problems, he used to do the same. Clarice had taught him different, Clarice taught him to change... Kaine could change. After thinking for a moment, he left and went to his rooms upstairs.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
The night was a sleepless one. After getting fed up of tossing and turning, Hannibal got up ad put on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt from Rome. He had a sudden rush of curiosity, aimed directly at that basement.  
  
As he cautiously walked down the stairs to the basement, he spotted a door, well hidden behind boxes and junk. He moved the boxes with a graceful ease and opened the door. The doctor found the light switch and entered the room. He was amazed, the room was like a huge memory palace. 


	4. Basement II

Sorry about the sudden stop in ch3, this is the basement continued almost, bit of a short on ethis is... hope you like it so far. SERIOUS ENOUGH YET?  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Pictures lined the walls of the room, there were scrap books and newspapers all over the desks and worktops. Hannibal picked up a photo album and began to flip through the pages. On the first page, a lot of writing was written all over a piece of black cardboard. The words 'I HATE YOU' and 'MUM' and 'ME' was most noticeable, others included 'I DON'T KNOW YOU' but the largest was 'WHERE ARE YOU?' over the next few pages, Hannibal recognised Kaine and a few other kids in the photos.  
  
He then turned his attention to a few of the newspaper stories and columns. He noticed one in particular.  
  
"SPECIAL AGENT DIES IN FBI CAR BOMBING INCIDENT"  
  
He read on.  
  
"Special Agent Clarice Starling, who helped solve the Buffalo Bill case and worked on the Hannibal Lecter case was killed in the early hours of this morning."  
  
Hannibal couldn't believe it. Clarice had been killed, that he knew... but he didn't realise it had made the newspapers. He'd thought the FBI would've wanted to keep gossip to a minimum. He read some more.  
  
"Agent Starling was killed by a car bomb, deliberately planted and set off to kill her. The car flipped and landed on her, she died instantly. "If anybody knows Miss Starling, the FBI expects t hear from you."  
  
Hannibal's hands shook, his highly evolved brain couldn't process all the information at once. He shook off a wave of nausea and looked through more photos. He stopped at one picture, he saw Clarice Starling smiling at the camera with a young Kaine standing next to her, he looked so much like her. Dr Lecter regained his composure and returned the boxes to their place in front of the door. As he put the last box back, he sensed somebody watching him, he turned slowly to meet the icy gaze of Kaine... 


	5. what if

WOOHOO GUBER! THANKS DUDE! HATE TO LEAVE YOU ON A CLIFFIE! HERE'S THE NEXT INSTALMENT!  
*~*~*~*  
"What are you doing?" Kaine asked, never dropping his gaze from the maroon depths of the doctor's eyes.  
  
"I just came across the basement, you said about storage." Hannibal knew that was a lie, but he was still in shock from his findings.  
  
"Why were you in that room? How much have you seen? Tell me, and don't lie or I'll know." Kaine still hadn't blinked, his voice carried like a chill in the air.  
  
"Why? Could you possibly have something to hide?" Hannibal's eyes remained locked with Kaine's. Kaine had a menacing grin on his face.  
  
"Why don't you tell me," He sat on the stairs and thought for a moment, "Quid Pro Quo, I tell you things you tell me things, answer the questions... Doctor Lecter." Kaine used an even more icy tone when he mentioned the Good Doctor's name. Hannibal began to wonder if he did know anything about the boy on the stairs.  
  
"I saw the door, I walked in. I've been there for half an hour." That was the truth.  
  
"I guess you saw most of it then, what I've got left of my mother." Kaine looked down at his feet, hiding his emotions again. "I didn't know my dad, but she talked about him lots." He just stared down.  
  
"Your mother was Clarice Starling? As in the FBI Agent?" Hannibal thought for a while, "And you say you don't know your father... I see." The doctor stood still as stone for about five minutes, one phrase going through his head:  
  
ONE NIGHT...  
  
ONE NIGHT...  
  
ONE NIGHT...  
  
ONE NIGHT...  
  
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?  
  
"Where did you get that saying, Quid Pro Quo?" Hannibal asked, his curiosity growing. The sparks in his eyes glowing like the fresh red embers from a newly extinguished fire.  
  
"I don't know." Kaine shrugged. "She used to use it, when she questioned people, I don't know where she got it, but she taught me that it means something for something in return." Kaine stopped, not wanting to tell the doctor too much.  
  
"Oh... how interesting. Tell me, did she ever tell you the story of how she came to meet your father, that is, if you don't mind telling me?" Hannibal was intrigued, could this be?  
  
"Once, she told me only once. She said he was called a madman, but she wouldn't believe everyone else, she went to see him all the time. She told me she got him out of his habits, she knew..." Kaine trailed off, he remembered clearly now.  
  
"Did she ever mention his name?" The doctor questioned further.  
  
"No, she'd just say stuff like 'you look so much like your dad,' you know, mush like that," Kaine managed a smile. He rose then and turned to leave the basement, Doctor Lecter stopped him.  
  
"Wait." Kaine turned, "Do you want to know your father?" Kaine considered this question for some time before he answered.  
  
"Yes, I do, but no, I don't... he doesn't know I even exist." And with that, he left.  
  
"You could find out who he is..." The doctor called out after him. He got a muffled 'I KNOW!' in response from the first floor above.  
  
Hannibal would return to that room, that memory vault, he knew it. A memory bank for Kaine and himself. But what would happen if Kaine found out who his father was? What if the doctor's thoughts were accurate? What if? Would he ever know?  
*~*~*~*  
Another little cliffie, this one's for you Guber, since you like all my serious stuff, hated to leave you hanging... heh! Ciao!  
SHIFTER  
  
X 


	6. it just might be

DISCLAIMER: oops! Haven't put this on the others, don't own the GD, or Florence *sniff* but Kaine is MIIIIINE! Back to all seriousness... and the story...  
*~*~*~*  
Kaine sat back against the wall, he thought about the look in Dr Lecter's eyes, sadness as he came out of the room known to him as the 'Memory Bank,' now another knew of its existence. It had finally been found, then something struck Kaine... what if the doctor knew his mother, what if she knew him... personally? He began to scare himself and shook his head to will all the thoughts away to their dark corner. Kaine sifted through bills and paperwork, he was turning into a nervous wreck, he had to pull himself together. If he had been old enough, he'd have drained several bottles of Jack Daniel's and attempted suicide... but, alas, he did not and was not in the mood for suicide.  
  
He took himself to his room and thought about everything that happened that day. Before he drifted off to visit dreamland, Kaine looked at the picture the good doctor hadn't seen of him and his mother, her. He wanted to know his father more than anything, but he was afraid... afraid of what and who he would meet, afraid, scared, and alone...  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Hannibal awoke in a cold sweat with a strangled yell. He'd had a nightmare. He had seen Clarice how he pictured her, beautiful as ever, then a huge black shadow appeared and took her away, he followed the shadow to a barn. In the barn, he saw Mischa and went to see her, then he heard a cut-off scream, he turned to see Clarice being ripped apart by the giant shadow, she screamed, screaming, screaming... echoes, awake... dark, no screams. One image stayed in his mind for a few minutes, her half-torn bloodied face slapped on the wall, stuck there.  
  
The doctor got up and pace the room, he was disturbed by a piercing yell through the house. In a flash, Hannibal was running at full speed in the direction of the noise. He came to Kaine's door and knocked. A half-awake and grumpy Kaine answered.  
  
"Are you okay?" The doctor questioned Kaine, "I heard you yell."  
  
"Really?" At this, Kaine raised a quizzical eyebrow, "Well, as you can see I'm perfectly fine now, goodnight."  
  
"Indeed." Kaine shut the door then and the sleepy good doctor padded back to his space and crashed on the sofa. Another restless night of tossing and turning, for both residents of the old building, plagued with memories.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Hannibal awoke with a groan.  
  
"Why me?" He got up off the sofa and his back clicked loudly when he stretched. He could have a son, but he was not really sure of this kid... is he, isn't he? To be frank, his life was going nowhere, and he'd never felt so low, Baltimore was better than this! He confused himself and padded into his bedroom, locked the door and threw himself on the bed, falling back asleep again.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Kaine, on the other hand, had been awake since the early hours of the morning, he went downstairs and got his guitar to take out some stress. Instead of just playing it, he got mad... no, he got enraged, the reason why, we'll never know; it was then that Kaine swung the guitar at the TV and smashed it up, he continued to do so until the guitar was no more than a giant splinter. He went to the bathroom and threw up, again and again and again... His head was spinning, his ears were ringing and he was ill, it was then that he lost all consciousness...  
  
Kaine awoke in bed, Hannibal Lecter was sitting in a leather armchair, reading a battered copy of Dante's Inferno.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," the doctor shook his head, "you really shouldn't get so stressed. You'll make yourself ill."  
  
"How long have I been out?" Kaine asked in a tone that posed no argument.  
  
"About fifteen hours, I found you with your head down the toilet and the room smashed up... you weren't trying to kill yourself now, were you?" The doctor expressed much concern in this question.  
  
"No." Kaine replied, not saying any more.  
  
"Okay then, if you say so... ciao." With that, Hannibal left the room to find breakfast.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Kaine was in his office thinking when the doctor came in.  
  
"So... what do you want to ask me now?" Kaine sighed.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Yes..." Kaine didn't want to talk.  
  
"When you said your mother was Clarice Starling,"  
  
"SPECIAL AGENT Clarice Starling, yes, go on." Kaine prompted the doctor.  
  
"I knew your mother, and well... you see, we were... involved with each other for a time and, you know." Hannibal looked at the floor, feeling a little out of line being so forward.  
  
"So, you're suggesting that you could be my..." Kaine didn't say the word.  
  
"Yes, and if your mother meant what she told me, and she wasn't with another man, then... yes." Hannibal trailed off.  
  
"Okay then, one teeny tiny little detail, what you've just said would suggest my mother was a slut! SAY THAT AGAIN AND I'LL DISEMBOWEL YOU... ALIVE AND KICKING!" He hissed the last three words.  
  
"Now, now, calm down, Kaine. I wasn't suggesting that at all, it's just a thought." The doctor reasoned.  
  
"Well stop thinking then!" Kaine snapped in retaliation, "Would you just for once stop interrogating me, questioning me, using all this 'quid pro quo' shit?" Kaine stormed out of the office and out of the building.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Kaine returned home to the building a few hours later. He found an envelope on the floor in front of his door. He recognised that handwriting, where had he seen in before... he remembered, not opening the letter, he went to the Memory Bank in the basement.  
  
In the small room, he walked to the oldest desk, which had a handy little secret drawer in its side. He opened the drawer and found several letters written in that same copperplate hand. Kaine opened a letter.  
  
DEAR CLARICE,  
  
I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERY DAY; DID YOU GET MY NOTE AND THE ROSES?  
  
I THINK I SEE YOU IN THE HALL, BUT I BLINK AND THE IMAGE OF YOU IS GONE. COME BACK, LITTLE STARLING, COME HOME, I MISS YOU DEARLY. COME BACK, MY HALLUCINATIONS ARE DRIVING ME INSANE, TILL WE NEXT MEET, I SHALL CLING TO MY SANITY FOR YOU.  
  
FOREVER YOURS,  
  
x  
  
"Hmmm... Sealed with a kiss..." Kaine contemplated aloud before returning the drawer to its hiding place. He took the letters upstairs to finish reading them.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Are you liking so far? Told you it gets serious...  
  
"CHOOSE LIFE! CHOOSE PLEASURE! CHOOSE... THE POTATO BALLS!"  
  
SHIFTER  
  
x 


	7. the letter

Disclaimer: I cannot be bothered with disclaimers! I don't own the Thomas Harris characters, not making a profit, here for Guber and Nan, KAINE IS MINE!  
  
Onwards!  
  
Charge!  
  
GET ON WITH IT!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Kaine read the letters, they were all pretty much the same 'I MISS YOU' story all the way through, 'I LOVE YOU' was also mentioned all through them... mush. It was weird; the letters were all signed 'H,' Hannibal, the handwriting, the names. Kaine remained deep in thought for a good twenty minutes before re-reading all the notes. Soon enough, he fell asleep in the leather armchair. He hadn't noticed Dr Lecter standing in the doorway.  
  
The doctor walked silently towards Kaine and looked at the letters, memories came back... it was too much... tears finally fell from the eyes of the man who never showed emotion he wept silently over the letters and memories.  
  
Soon enough, his sadness turned to anger, and anger turned to hate. Hate of the things that took his Clarice away from him. He took himself to his room and found a bottle of tequila, the doctor poured himself a shot. He stopped, repeatedly looked from the glass to the bottle and decided to down the bottle first, then the shot. Have you ever seen a completely drunken serial killer before? I didn't think so. Staggering, the drunken doctor made his way to the living room and fell on to the sofa.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Hannibal awoke feeling really, really sick. He stood up when his head ceased to spin and the fell over again, he did this three times before deciding to just sit for a minute. When he tried again, his legs gave way again and he just lay on the floor, willing to give in to the oncoming headache. The good doctor had... a hangover.  
  
"Yo! Doc!" Kaine was pummelling the stairs as he ran up them. Not good for a headache, not good for the GD. Before he finally lost consciousness, Hannibal saw Kaine's feet at the door.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Dr Lecter awoke in the dark. There was a silhouette in the corner of the room. He reached for the lamp but found it was gone.  
  
"I wouldn't put the lamp on if I were you, you'll just get a worse headache." Kaine's voice was cold. The doctor sat up slowly.  
  
"What are you really doing here?" Kaine could not be seen, but Dr Lecter could feel his eyes. He sniffed the air around him. There was anger, no fear... just the anger. "Answer my question Doctor Lecter... or should I call you 'H'? It's how you signed all your letters." Kaine's words didn't register in Lecter's mind for a while. When they did, he answered the questions truthfully, no games.  
  
"I came here to find somebody who I could spend the rest of my life with, a partner. I assure you that our meeting is pure coincidence," he paused for a second, "'H' is how I sign my personal letters... like those to your mother, however I tend to prefer people calling me Doctor Lecter." Hannibal waited for a response.  
  
"So, you wrote letters to my mother because you were sort of together when she came over here?" Kaine leaned back on the wall.  
  
"That is sort of correct."  
  
"And did you ever get replies from your letters?"  
  
"Yes. Most of them... except one, the last one, I never received it." The doctor cast his mind back, to find the memories quickly fading. "I still have them, I carry them everywhere I go... so she's always with me in some odd way." The sadness entered his eyes again.  
  
"Can I see them?" Kaine asked politely, not wanting to push his luck for the day.  
  
"Top left-hand drawer in the cabinet in the bedroom." Hannibal then decided to clam up for a bit. The light in the bedroom went on, there was a shuffling of papers and then the light went off. Kaine left silently.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
The next morning, Hannibal was pretty much fully recovered from his hangover. Vowing never to drink Tequila again, he walked around the room for a bit, then he went to get showered and dressed for the day. When he entered his bedroom, he noticed a letter left out by Kaine, he hadn't read it before. He scanned the letter and felt the need to drink Tequila again.  
  
MY DEAREST LOVE,  
  
YOU HAVE A SON... HIS NAME IS KAINE, SURPRISE! I WANT YOU O COME TO FLORENCE SO WE CAN ALL BE TOGETHER AS A FAMILY. I CAN'T DO THIS ALONE.  
  
DADDY OR FATHER, WHICH DO YOU PREFER? OH, YOU'RE CONFUSED, WELL I'LL DECIDE FOR YOU IF YOU'LL PERMIT ME TO... DADDY.  
  
YOURS ALSO FOREVER,  
  
CS. x  
*~*~*~*  
  
Sorry this is a bit short, I'm working on why me and relative at the same time... STRESS! And I have homework! STRESS! But if you like it I can ignore homework and continue to type away...  
  
Before I forget:  
  
Thanks to Nan and Guber for your kind reviews...  
  
CIAO!  
  
Shifter  
  
x 


	8. forgiving and forgetting

HELLOOOOOOOOO! Guber... do I have a fan? *Sniff* I'm so proud!  
  
Here's number 8 of the little thing... and yes, I have had the ending planned for a long time now... about five or six months, sometime last year anyway... you'll like it... or you might not... let me put it like this... do you want to keep your bowels?  
  
Anyway, thanks again for the kind review... have a good weekend G?  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
"How could I have missed this letter?" Hannibal thought aloud. "I HATE YOU!" He yelled at something, for taking away Clarice, for making his life so damned difficult. "WHY ME?" he continued to yell, then he had a brainwave. He held his breath, counted to ten and then went into the bathroom. 'Put head into toilet, flush... instructions for dummies' the doctor thought, and he did just that.  
  
Incredibly enough, it WAS stress relieving!  
  
"Hey! That was my thing to do!" Kaine was standing behind the doctor, containing his laughter, watching him, waving the note. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, softly.  
  
"I didn't read that note, I never got round to opening it." The Good Doctor's voice came from the toilet. "Why didn't you tell me how stress relieving this toilet flushing thingy is?" Hannibal took his soaking head out of the toilet and slicked his hair back. Kaine threw him a towel, Lecter nodded his thanks as he began to dry his hair.  
  
"I didn't tell you because it's not exactly all that important, is it?" Kaine smiled weakly, "So, we're related... hey." Kaine helped the doctor, his dad, to stand up.  
  
"I should have opened the letter instead of becoming such a recluse, I confess, I was being a lazy old bastard, I gave up on life." 'Why did I just say that?' The doctor thought to himself.  
  
"Indeed... tell me, do you know what this is?" Kaine pulled the arm of his tee-shirt up and revealed a hand and a death's head moth, on closer inspection, the hand had six fingers and was a left hand.  
  
"Ahhh... yes, that would be my hand," Hannibal held up his hand and wiggled all six fingers, "and the moth has something to do with the case your mother and I met because of." The tattoo was masterfully crafted. "Tell me, how long have you had that tattoo?"  
  
"Since I can remember." Kaine covered the tattoo and leaned against the door frame.  
  
"Why is your last name not Starling?" The doctor was a little confused over the matter.  
  
"It never changed, she was on an undercover bust over here and I was born with the name." Kaine looked around the bathroom, "A little like yourself, that name you used ages ago... Fell, wasn't it?" Kaine locked eyes with the doctor, making sure he didn't lie.  
  
"Yes, Dr Fell, it was."  
  
"Yeah,"  
  
"So."  
  
"So..." 'and now the conversation is boring' the doctor silently mused.  
  
"Anything else you want me to do for you?" Hannibal asked.  
  
"Erm... yeah... keep flushing." Kaine smiled and then left, closing the bathroom door behind him.  
  
Hannibal took a deep breath and sat by the door, closing his eyes and thinking about everything and nothing.  
  
CLARICE:  
  
Beautiful, always up for a challenge. Always suspecting a motive. Always used 'Quid Pro Quo' ... was that a bad influence? Definitely not.  
  
FLORENCE:  
  
His place, his feelings, his hideout. No place in the world was more beautiful for him than Florence.  
  
KAINE:  
  
His son... mirror... relative... descendant. A brilliant mind, used it well... not to be messed with. Quick on the reflexes. Looks like Clarice, has the same personality as Hannibal. He expressed so little, no fear, no anger, only curiosity, that plagued both Hannibal and the late Clarice... the curiosity thing was inevitable if they were to have another child, had she been alive. Clarice would be proud, Hannibal IS proud. He had a son... he fought the urge to do a little jig of joy there and then in the bathroom. However, as he left the bathroom, he did a little hoppy sort of thing and then returned to his calm and controlled self.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Kaine was also contemplating what the whole: I'VE GOT A DAD! HE'S A SERIAL KILLER CALLED HANNIBAL LECTER AND HE EATS PEOPLE!!! Thing would mean for him. Sure, Lecter was wealthy, and he was cool-ish, but to call a killer you grew up hearing about 'dad'? No... I don't think so. The situation just gets more and more complicated as it goes, doesn't it.  
  
It's like a dream, but you can't wake up, no matter how hard you try to. Kaine let out a long sigh and thought about other stuff, bills, tomorrow, people... he remembered his mother's 'most famous' speech... (AHEM and I quote:)  
  
"Don't spend your life like I did, kissin' ass! Quit while you can, marry a rich girl, get to know her even richer dad and BAM! You're on your way to a real fancy life!"  
  
His mother, often referred to as 'she', the most important woman in his life... His father... well, his father... what was to become of his life now? Another corner turned, another million choices to make, only one path to take (another little rhyme! Pure genius I tell you!), all choices attached to fate, to death... some happy ends, some not so happy. Some are depressive, others caused by sucide...  
  
Kaine seemed to understand the depressive paths more than the happy ones... weird... then that song came into his head, 'suicide is painless...'  
  
'suicide is painless,  
  
it brings on many changes,  
  
and I can take a leaving if I please.'  
  
He noticed Doctor Lecter attempting to go unnoticed as he came down the stairs.  
  
"Hi," Kaine greeted.  
  
"Hello," The GD replied.  
  
"So..."  
  
"What?" He wondered what exactly was playing on Kaine's mind.  
  
"You're not going to leave, are you... I mean, because of me? You're like the first person to come here in a few months, it's not good for business if you go." Kaine once again covered up any trace of emotion.  
  
"I don't intend on leaving just yet, I still have to get into the dating game... so to speak."  
  
"Cool." Kaine shifted a bit.  
  
"I assure you now, I am in no sense 'cool' as you put it."  
  
"Oh, no. I don't see why you're not cool in some aspects... I mean, you have weird eyes, and you can reduce people to tears, and drink a whole bottle of Tequila in one go." Kaine smiled at the thought of the Doctor drunk all over again, "You've even got the most fan-sites on the Internet. Believe me when I say there are one hell of a lot of women out there who think you're either sexy, or drop dead gorgeous... and a few guys, but I won't mention that." Kaine chuckled, the doctor just stared on in disbelief, "I'll have to show you sometime."  
  
"I'm guessing that all is forgiven then? Unless you feel like yelling at me some more... just keep the Tequila away." Kaine laughed like hack at that small sentence delivered in perfect timing by the doctor.  
  
"Yeah." Kaine said, when he'd calmed down.  
  
"I have to make a few phone calls today, and I am meeting a few old friends too... I won't be back till late probably, so don't wait for me."  
  
"Okay. Thanks for letting me know." Kaine waved goodbye as Hannibal went outside.  
  
The doctor phoned at five o'clock, he'd be back at about midnight. Kaine went out to the gym and decided to have some fun, he didn't worry about what time the doc would be getting in, time to let loose!  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
On his way home, Kaine thought there was somebody behind him, he turned around... nothing there. He heard footsteps behind him, he turned again, he saw nothing again. He used his ability to 'blend' in with the shadows like he had when he'd floored the doctor. The footsteps got closer, Kaine began to jog, the footsteps got faster... whoever it was wanted to get him, but why? Kaine turned a corner down an alleyway. He heard a shot, pain coursed up his leg. This person obviously meant business, he'd been shot in the back of the leg. Kaine gritted his teeth and continued through the shadows.  
  
Another shot, Kaine knew there wasn't any way that he or the gun could be heard. This time, he was hit in the lower back. Kaine groaned and somehow managed to lose the follower and got to the door in one piece. He painstakingly climbed the stairs and fell on to the sofa in his office. Blood stained his trousers and tee-shirt, he began to have trouble breathing. The last sound he heard was a crash of lightning and a roll of thunder, the last thing he saw was the ceiling fan, spinning, like his head. Kaine finally gave in and lost consciousness... 


	9. his loss

Okies! This is for those who want to know... dun dun dun! Here goes! Hope you like it... no, no! don't tell me now, tell me with... A REVIEW!  
  
After tipping the taxi driver, the Doctor approached the old building. The fact that all the lights were off struck him as odd but he continued to walk up the steps. On the fifth step, he caught the scent of fresh blood. Two strides from the front door was the beginnings of a trail of blood. Hannibal followed the trail of blood and noticed it got thicker at the door to Kaine's office.  
  
"Kaine?" The doctor said into the darkness. "Kaine, where are you?" He opened the door of the office, harpy in hand.  
  
The beige carpet had red stains all over it, somebody had obviously stumbled and fallen into the room. The sofa had handprints all over it, bloody handprints. He walked over to the sofa, his knees grew weak at the sight he was presented with...  
  
Kaine was stretched out on the blood red sofa, Hannibal felt the air rush from his lungs and the blood rush from his face. Kaine stirred with an agonising groan and opened his eyes. Doctor Lecter took a deep breath and made his way to the sofa.  
  
"Kaine, who the hell did this to you?" He said.  
  
"I... don't know." It was painful for Kaine to speak. Hannibal turned him over, it was clear that he had been shot n the leg and lower back and was still losing a lot of blood.  
  
"Try not to speak." The doctor advised, then he walked out of the room and retched.  
  
"Stop... if you... go in the... light... you'll keep on... spewing your guts... on the floor." Kaine let out a painful sounding groan and started to fit uncontrollably on the sofa.  
  
"Kaine!" Hannibal watched as Kaine shook violently on the sofa, his breathing ragged. He tossed and turned before abruptly stopping, he choked up blood. Kaine's chest stopped moving and his eyes remained fixed on the ceiling fan. He was dead. Hannibal began to cry, not silently, but as loud as he wanted to, he wanted the whole world to know of his loss, his son.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
And that's the gruesome little snippit I have written down on this pad... *points at pad with scribbles and writing all over it* please continue... I know you're curious as to how this ends... 


	10. life still goes on

Here's the final bit, I never actually thought I'd get around to it, but I have, with all the encouragement from the reviews... here's the last little bit... reach for the tissues... *sniff*  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Two weeks had passed, Hannibal Lecter sat on a bench in a graveyard. Usually he'd have admired the scenery and the intelligent epitaphs, but today he had to mourn the death of his son... his relative.  
  
Hannibal was travelling back to his large, empty, lonely estate. Life around him would go on as normal, but he had a promise to fulfil.  
  
He had vowed on Kaine's and Clarice's grave that he would find Kaine's killer... maybe he had something to do with the death of Clarice too. When he did find this sick son of a bitch, he would gut him like a fish and hang him out to dry, with a few good old mind games thrown into the fun... a fitting punishment.  
  
'Nobody can get in my way.' He thought to himself.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Before leaving for the airport, Hannibal took as much of the memory bank he could and sealed the room, he had a box full of Kaine's possessions to go through hen he got home. Hannibal had a mental memory palace, now he could have a physical memory bank of his own he could return to whenever, wherever he wanted.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
END  
  
So, how was it? 


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